MATURA , Trinidad -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- With its white sand and clear , blue water , Trinidad 's Matura Beach looks like a postcard . It 's a far cry from its recent past , when leatherback sea turtle carcasses littered the ground and kept tourists away .

Suzan Lakhan Baptiste 's efforts have turned a beach from a leatherback turtle graveyard to a nesting colony .

`` Twenty years ago , this was a graveyard , '' Suzan Lakhan Baptiste said of the six-mile stretch of beach near her home .

`` The stench was horrendous . You could smell it for miles , '' she said .

Saddened and frustrated , Baptiste launched a crusade to help end the slaughter of the gentle giants . Today , she and her group are succeeding : What was once a turtle graveyard is now a maternity ward -- one of the largest leatherback nesting colonies in the world .

It has n't been an easy fight for Baptiste or the turtles .

For 100 million years , the creatures have traveled the world 's oceans , outliving the dinosaurs . Over the last 30 years , they have become critically endangered worldwide because of fishing , pollution and hunting .

For centuries , they 've been hunted throughout the Caribbean for their meat and fins , and also for their eggs , which some people prize as aphrodisiacs .

`` Turtles are in serious trouble , '' Baptiste said .

Every year , female leatherbacks make their way onto the beach , laying their eggs deep in the sand . It is a long , complicated ritual during which the enormous , slow-moving animals are easy prey for poachers .

`` Leatherbacks -LSB- are -RSB- very vulnerable , '' Baptiste said . `` They can not pull their head and flippers back into the shell . They have no sense of defense to actually protect themselves . ''

By the 1980s , nearly one in three turtles that nested on Matura Beach were killed . When the government asked for volunteers to help protect the endangered creatures , Baptiste and several others answered the call . In 1990 , they started Nature Seekers , one of Trinidad 's first environmental groups .

` Crazy Turtle Woman '

For years , Baptiste and her group patrolled the beaches every night of turtle nesting season . She often walked alone until sunrise .

Locals mocked her efforts , calling her the `` Turtle Police '' or `` Crazy Turtle Woman , '' yet her dedication to the unpaid work was fierce ; when it conflicted with her day job , she quit and found a new job .

Leatherbacks were a vital source of income for some members of her village , and the poachers who prowled the beaches with machetes could be threatening . When Baptiste 's then-husband was injured during a patrol , she became more determined to stand her ground .

`` I was very vigilant , '' she said , adding that at times , she even got into physical fights .

But Baptiste persisted , and a prestigious award from the United Nations Environment Program helped validate her efforts . She and her group also worked hard to convince the villagers that using the turtles for eco-tourism could create a more sustainable income .

`` I wanted to show that a turtle is -LSB- worth -RSB- so much more to us alive than dead , '' Baptiste said .

Gradually , her message of conservation turned the tide of public opinion , and after nearly two decades under Baptiste 's leadership , Nature Seekers has largely won its battle . Today , the leatherbacks ' survival rate on Matura Beach is virtually 100 percent .

`` Here , turtle slaughter is a thing of the past , '' Baptiste proclaimed .

Even `` Papa George , '' a village elder who used to hunt leatherbacks with his father , can attest to the cultural shift .

`` Suzan brought around the change , '' he said . `` They do n't kill the turtles anymore ... because of the visitors . ''

Nearly 10,000 tourists a year , most of whom are Trinidadian , now visit Matura Beach , and many locals make a living by providing them with accommodations , food and souvenirs .

Since the beach is a prohibited area during the nesting season , Nature Seekers ' members act as guides , explaining the turtles ' ancient rituals to visitors . In addition , Baptiste and her colleagues gather data on the enormous creatures , tagging and weighing as many leatherbacks as they can . Watch Baptiste and her group weigh a leatherback turtle at night ''

During peak season , they might see between 250 or 300 turtles a night . More than 5,000 leatherbacks nest in the area each year . The group 's work is often cited as one of the most successful eco-tourism efforts in the Caribbean .

Still , turtle slaughter persists throughout the region , and Baptiste is working to help other groups learn from her success , most recently on the island of Dominica .

She finds joy in sharing her hard-earned knowledge .

`` The passion that I feel , it burns me up , '' she said . `` I have seen the fruits of our labor , and it can happen in every community . '' Watch how Baptiste helped end the slaughter of turtles in her community ''

Her efforts -- and those of many others around the region -- are making a difference . While leatherbacks are still critically endangered worldwide , the Caribbean population has begun to rebound .

`` When I got started , a lot of people thought I was crazy , '' Baptiste said , and she admits that she sometimes wondered if they were right . Reflecting on what she and her team have accomplished , she now believes it was worth it .

`` I love being crazy , you know ? '' she said , laughing . `` Crazy with a passion , crazy with a dream -- totally environmentally crazy . ''

Want to get involved ? Check out Nature Seekers and see how to help .

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Suzan Lakhan Baptiste helped end leatherback turtle slaughter in her community

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Her nonprofit Nature Seekers promotes turtle conservation throughout the Caribbean

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The group 's efforts contribute to eco-tourism in the area

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